


Everything has Changed

by supremesapphic



Category: Private Practice
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Season 4 finale rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29109414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremesapphic/pseuds/supremesapphic
Summary: Addison realizes at the airport that she can't run from the practice's problems. Lucky for her, she runs into a certain someone who helps her find her way home.
Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Jake Reilly
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Everything has Changed

**Author's Note:**

> guess who finished private practice and started shipping these two pineapples? yes, me. Enjoy, and happy jaddison sunday!

_ “I didn’t run, Alex, I walked. I walked away. There's a difference.” _

Those words she’d told Alex Karev years ago echo in Addison’s mind as she stands by her boarding gate at LAX, frozen. What she said at the time had been true, she’d walked away from the dumpster fire that was her life in Seattle to start fresh. But what she was doing at this very moment, on her way to a spontaneous trip to Fiji with some guy she’d met a week ago while the practice,  _ her family _ , was in trouble and potentially facing a lawsuit, she was running away. Addison Montgomery does not run away. She didn’t run when she found out Derek had a new girlfriend, or when he cheated and divorced her, not even when Mark followed her to Seattle. So why the hell was she running now?

“Hey.” A familiar voice greets, interrupting her train of thought. Addison looks up, her eyes widening as she realizes Pineapple Man was most definitely not on the plane to Fiji that was departing and currently standing directly in front of her. (Yes, she mentally referred to him as Pineapple Man because… she didn’t know his name, okay.)

“Hi.” Addison replies awkwardly, wondering if he’d gotten off the plane because she wasn’t there and she was about to have some ridiculously cheesy moment that was right out of a romance film. She shakes the thought from her head. “Aren’t you uh, supposed to be on that plane?”

“I could say the same for you.” Pineapple Man says nonchalantly. “Listen, I’d love to chat but I’ve got to go because I have a patient--” 

“Patient?” The words tumble out of her mouth before she can even process. She follows Pineapple Man as he walks towards the exit, pulling her suitcase along behind her. “Wait, you’re a doctor?!”

“Yep.” Pineapple Man replies, pausing to take her suitcase so they could walk faster. “Jake Reilly, fertility specialist. Nice to meet you.”

Addison’s jaw drops slightly, unable to mask her surprise. What were the odds, really, of her flirting with some random guy in a supermarket over pineapples of all produce and him turning out to not only be a doctor but also in her field? “Addison Montgomery, neonatal surgeon.”

Pineapple Man—no, Jake, stops. He blinks at her in surprise. “Really?”

“Really.” She affirms. 

“Well, you should come along then. Might need your help.” He decides, leading her outside towards the parking lot. Belatedly, Addison realizes it was probably a little dumb of her to be following him to his car alone but then again if he was a serial killer he had already had way too many opportunities to murder her already. Jake places their suitcases in the trunk of his car, before opening the door for her on the passenger side. Addison climbs in, not a clue where they were going but not exactly minding.

“So.” Jake says casually as they pull out of the parking lot. “Why were you standing at the boarding gate like that?”

“Seriously? Aren’t we supposed to be rushing to the hospital right now?” Addison shoots back, not wanting to think about what she was avoiding back at the practice. 

“It’s 20 minutes to Santa Monica General even without traffic, we’ve got the time.” Jake responds coolly. Addison sighs. Seems like Jake wasn’t the type to just let things go. (To be fair, neither was she.)

“I realized I was running away, y’know, from my problems.” 

Jake hums in response, urging her to go on. 

“The practice I work at is getting investigated by the medical board for unethical practices. The lawyers recommended either looking through all our files for weak points or… just going our separate ways and dissolving the practice.” Addison sinks into the seat, the gravity of the situation settling in. It was so much easier when she had an escape plan to fall back to. Maybe they could still rebook their flight and leave later that night. 

“Those aren’t your only options you know.” He says, keeping his eyes trained on the road. Addison tilts her head, looking at him in confusion. “It’s not all black and white. Sure, you could dissolve the practice, but you don’t necessarily need to go your separate ways. You could open a new practice with a new name with the same people.”

“That’ll get the medical board off our backs?”

“Not entirely, but it’s a start.” They’re at a stoplight, leaving Jake free to give her a smile and place a comforting hand on her thigh. “I can help you with the rest.”

He spends the rest of the drive explaining exactly what she needed to do, from contacting former members of the medical board, to who she needs to get as consultants. Addison wonders how she managed to hit the jackpot going to that supermarket that night. As the car pulls into the parking lot of Santa Monica General, they agree to meet again for dinner and tell the other how everything goes. Jake rushes off to check on his patient, leaving Addison with a kiss on the cheek and a newfound hope for the future. 

-

“We could fight it, what’s happening to us. We could block their interrogations, bar the doors, or we can accept it. Or, we can change it. We could make a change. I would like us to officially dissolve Oceanside Wellness Group.” Addison announces. She had called in the remaining members of the practice for an emergency meeting to discuss with them the suggestions Jake had made in the car earlier. Sam begins to protest, but Addison ignores him, continuing her speech. “—and open a new practice. I’ll use my money, I’ll fund it. Meanwhile we hire a consultant, somebody who’s been a medical investigator, someone from the inside to help us figure this out. But OWG as we know it doesn’t exist anymore. We start over, we start fresh, we start clean. We stay a family, but we change. Make a change for the better.”

Smiles appear on the faces of everyone at the table, encouraging Addison to smile as well. She had hope again, and she knew exactly who to thank for that. She adjourns the meeting, itching to get ready for her dinner with Jake. 

“Hey, Addison.” Sam calls after her as she’s leaving the meeting room. 

“Yeah?” She asks impatiently. 

“I was just wondering if uh, if you’re not busy, maybe we could grab dinner.” Sam smiles at her. It would be easy to fall back into Sam, to go back to what she was familiar with, but if this week had taught her anything it was that she needed to make a change. To change the things she can. And her love life most definitely needed a change. Addison shakes her head.

“I’ve got a date, sorry.” 

-

“Hey.” Addison greets, allowing Jake to pull out her chair and help her into her seat. “How’s your patient?”

“Good. Seems like she’s gonna pull through.” Jake smiles, settling back into his own chair. “How’d things go with the practice?”

“Good.” Addison mirrors his response. “They liked the idea of staying a family.” 

Jake nods, switching the topic to the food and asking her what she wanted to order. Addison can’t help but smile. Things were different, but more importantly, things were changing. For the better, and in part it was thanks to the man sitting across from her. Later that night as she lays her head on Jake’s chest and allows his heartbeat to lull her to sleep, Addison can’t help but marvel how much her life has changed thanks to pineapples in a grocery store. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream at me on twitter @supremesapphic.


End file.
